: I recently purchased two 2x6x16' boards of clear western red cedar. One of
: the boards is bowed like so ")" about 6" off center at each
: end. I intend to cut each into 1x6's, then slice the strips from the 1x6.
: Do I need to straighten the board before slicing it up into strips, or can
: it be cut as it is now. If it needs straightening, I plan to soak it
: water, then clamp it straight and air dry the board. I am concerned that
: the constant radius on the boards will hurt my chances of getting enough
: 16' long strips. And, or I'll slice a couple of fingers off as it goes
: through the table saw. Any opinions?
: Thanks, Jim

Hi Jim

I will assume your board is bowed and not cupped. Can't tell much by the ). 6" is a lot to try to cut on any saw, but if you don't have a band saw, then, in this condition, you will never be able to rip into 1" x 6". I would try to soak it as you mentioned, if you think this will bring some of the bow out. You could probaby cut it on the table saw as is, but it would be a very " Hasardous manuver. A lot of chance for kick-back if you aren't paying attention. Rather than trying to get a 1" x 6" out, why not cut it to narrower widths, such as multiples of your strip size, plus saw kerfs and figure in about an extra 1/8" to compensate for the rough edge you will get from the blade as you cut the curve.

Keep the wood against the fence at the blade, which means you will have to devote your entire attention to the position of the board,fence and blade. ( you should be anyway, but this will be very critical ) You will not only be trying to keep the board against the fence, but if it's that curved, it will try to tip down at the ends when it is in the middle of the cut and the ends are off the table. Would be good if you had an outfeed table and thus lessen the difficulty factor to just trying to keept he wood against the blade.

When you get the wood cut to your proposed width, then you will probably find that it will either straighten out a bit, depending on the stresses in the wood. At any rate, you will have to clean up the bad edge where you made your first cut as the front and back of the blade will have dug in and left some pretty horendous saw cuts. With the piece being much lighter now, you will have a much better time of it and be more able to keep it up tight against the fence and get out your strips in good order.

A 16' board is going to be a handful to begin with, and with what you are wanting to do, will be best accomplished with the help of a friend.

Just take it slow and be very careful. It can be done, but is dangerous and deserves your TOTAL attention. Once you get it down to more manageable sizes, it will get much easier and you will probably not lose too much material if you are careful

My Best Possible Advise: Find someone with a bandsaw and take that board down to manageable size first. With a single or double pivot point, the band saw will do the job without hesitation. Best of luck and let us know how it comes out, as there are some others that have run into the same difficulty and it may help them as well. Hope this helps!!

Rehd